Sanitaryware, such as toilets and urinals, and the pipes they connect to, deliver waste from within a structure (e.g., a commercial building or a residence) to sewer or septic systems. Applicable plumbing codes and proper installation practices prescribe the size, type, pitch and layout of the drainage pipes to ensure that waste will run downhill through the pipes to the sewer or septic systems without clogging the pipes. With new construction, there is the opportunity to match the sanitaryware with a pipe system that is designed to work with the sanitaryware to provide a drainage system designed to avoid blockages. However, when sanitaryware are connected to a drainage system that is not so matched, such as during bathroom remodeling when new sanitaryware are connected to older pipes, there is an increased risk of blockages. Cleaning out a clogged drainage system can be a daunting and expensive undertaking.
Regarding the sanitaryware, a toilet is generally either of the type that relies on a water storage tank to force Water into the bowl causing it to “flush” or of the type that does not. In most cases, urinals don't rely on water storage tanks as a water delivery system.
Tank toilets, which are common in residential settings, are gravity-powered. With siphonic toilets, for example, when the toilet is flushed, the water in the tank rushes down with enough force to activate a siphon, which is a tube at the bottom of the bowl fixture. The siphon pulls the water and waste out of the bowl and into the drainage line. A flush valve controls the flow of water from the tank into the bowl.
Tankless toilets, which are common in commercial and/or public settings, receive water directly from a supply line at a high enough pressure that a single flush can carry waste through the drainage system. Tankless toilets use approximately the same amount of water as a tank-type toilet. For the most part, these toilets are powered using only the force of water entering from the supply line (in buildings where water pressure is an issue, the flush can be assisted by pumps). Tankless toilets generally need about 25 psi or more of water pressure to function properly. Most urinals require less water pressure (and much less water to complete a flush) because they flush liquid not solid waste.
Most tankless toilets and urinals operate using a flush valve that is metered with either a piston or a diaphragm. The valve is designed to shut automatically after completing a flush cycle.
With the advent of low flush volume toilets and urinals, the proper flushing and purging of the drainage system has become a serious concern. For example, a decade ago, it was not uncommon to have a toilet use in excess of 3 gallons of water per flush. Given present day water conservation efforts, various plumbing codes currently mandate that toilets use a maximum of 1.1 or 1.28 or 1.6 gallons per flush (typically less for urinals). This presents the problem of providing enough water per flush for sufficient drainage line carry-out of solid waste and to prevent undesirable buildup of minerals, etc. on the inside surfaces of the fixtures and drainage pipes. The problem is compounded by government incentives, such as Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (“LEED”), a voluntary, consensus-based, market-driven program that provides third-party verification of green buildings, and similar programs that incentivize building owners to reduce water consumption, without regard to the consequential, negative effects on fixtures and drainage, systems.
There is therefore a need for a way to provide for water conservation while minimizing the negative effects of the reduced water flow in low flow sanitaryware fixtures and drainage pipe systems.